Author offered hints before suicide The Boston Globe If one of Hunter S. Thompson's last wishes comes true, the body of the maverick journalist will be cremated this week and his ashes blasted from a cannon across his sprawling ranch in Woody Creek, Colo. That will be the extent of Thompson's funeral, as outlined in his will, said George Tobia Jr., a Boston-based entertainment lawyer who represented Thompson for the past 15 years. Tobia said he spent a few hours every week, often in the wee hours of the night, fielding requests from and chatting up the man who created gonzo journalism. In a telephone interview Monday, Tobia said that only in retrospect does it makes sense that the 67-year-old author sat in his kitchen Sunday afternoon, stuck a .45-caliber handgun in his mouth, and killed himself while his wife listened on the phone and his son and daughter-in-law were in another room. His wife had no idea what had happened until she returned home later. Thompson, a former Rolling Stone magazine contributor known for his self-styled, freewheeling writing, chronicled the downfall of President Nixon and authored books including Hell's Angels and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Tobia, 43, who said he spoke to Thompson at least five times in the last week, said his client and friend didn't leave a note, only conversations and obscure directions to friends and family in recent days. "This was definitely not spur of the moment," said Tobia, who plans to fly to Colorado today to help carry out Thompson's wishes. "He arranged to have things dealt with, and he wanted his family close by, but he didn't want anyone to know -- he didn't want anyone to try to stop him. In a weird way, he wanted it to be, I think, a celebration." Tobia noted that he and Thompson had discussed suicide in the past and that Thompson had discussed it with others. The decision, Tobia said, had nothing to do with the re-election of President Bush or the trend in national politics; nor did Thompson have any significant financial problems. Thompson's estate, including land, archives, royalties and other valuables, is worth millions, Tobia said. The best explanation, perhaps, is that in recent months Thompson had chronic pain from back surgery and an artificial hip. He also broke his leg on a recent trip to Hawaii and was limping, which made it difficult for him to travel. "He did not want to exist as an invalid or as someone who needed constant care. It wouldn't suit his sense of self," Tobia said. The one clue, in retrospect, that something changed recently was Thompson's decision that it wasn't so important that his papers and archives be sold to the highest bidder. The money would have helped him in later years. Thompson told friends including Tobia, a trustee of Thompson's estate, last week that it was more important that his archives not be sold piecemeal and that a proper home, such as a university, be found for them. "There was no one thing you would point to and say, 'Oh ... he's going to kill himself,' " Tobia said. "It wasn't clear last week suicide was imminent, but now it adds up." |